diamorphine

[ dahy-uh-mawr-feen ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. heroin.

diamorphine

/ ˌdaɪəˈmɔːfiːn /

noun

1. a technical name for heroin

Word History and Origins

Origin of diamorphine¹

First recorded in 1910–15; dia(cetyl) + morphine

Example Sentences

In 2000, for example, a British physician named Harold Shipman was convicted of murdering 15 patients over a period of 3 years after an investigation yielded evidence that he had given overdoses of diamorphine—heroin, used in the United Kingdom for severe pain—and falsified the medical records of numerous patients, suggesting they had been sicker than they were to make their deaths appear less suspicious.

From Science Magazine

An "unprecedented shortage" of the heroin substitute diamorphine in England is putting hundreds of lives at risk, say drug workers.

From BBC

In Wales, drug workers say diamorphine is not prescribed in the same way, while in Scotland a different product is shipped from Switzerland, which hasn't suffered from the same supply problems.

From BBC

Diamorphine is also used as a strong painkiller in hospitals after some types of surgery, or in hospices for end-of-life care.

From BBC

Sarah, not her real name, has been injecting several doses of diamorphine a day since first getting help for drug addiction in the 1990s.

From BBC